IN HIS Feb. 15 op-ed "The next chapter of Chapter 40B," Paul D. Wilson asks, "Can Woburn cut a proposed Chapter 40B development in half without pointing to any safety or environmental justification?" Archstone, which Wilson represents, proposes this development. The environmental impact was addressed and is reviewed in the amicus curiae brief filed by the nonprofit Friends of Mary Cummings Park, which works to preserve the 210-acre public park in Burlington and Woburn, near the Burlington Mall.
The parcel for the proposed development deeply cuts into and is surrounded on three sides by Mary Cummings Park. Archstone's plans would substantially reduce public access as well as the park's viability as wildlife habitat, forever changing a quiet green oasis. Two vernal pools have been certified on the parcel, and the forest is a habitat cited by the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
Too often, developers use Chapter 40B as a tool to maximize profits, with disregard for the impact on the communities and the environment. Archstone wants to make its profit at the expense of destroying one of the Boston area's great public parks.
LAUREL FRANCOEUR
Woburn
The writer is a lawyer representing Friends of Mary Cummings Park.
